Approval Status

The Medical Coding Alignment was approved by the Kansas Board of Regents on March 16, 2011. Colleges are granted one year from the approval date to implement the alignment.

In spring 2012 KBOR staff became aware that AHIMA is temporarily not accepting new Medical Coding programs for accreditation or designation as AHIMA approved Medical Coding programs. . Effective immediately, all Kansas approved programs are temporarily waived from being an AHIMA approved program until further notice. However, the expectation that students will sit for the CCA examination and attain the credential remains.

Candidates wishing to take the CCA examination are eligible to sit for the exam even if the program is not AHIMA approved. However, according to the AHIMA website, “effective March 31, 2012, the CCA exam will require the 2012 version of the ICD-9 and CPT codebooks...” In addition, “The CCA exam is based on ICD-9-CM codes effective October 1, 2011 and CPT codes are effective as of January 1, 2012. Only the American Medical Association CPT codebook is permitted. HCPCS II codebooks and IC-9-CM codebooks containing HCPCS national level II codebooks are not permitted for this examination.”

State Business and Industry Committee recommendation

The State Business and Industry Committee for Medical Coding recommended the following industry credentials for all Medical Coding programs:

Common Courses (13 credit hours)Common Courses serve as potential articulation and transfer of coursework between secondary and postsecondary partners. These courses shall have the same title, credit hour allocation, and competencies. Institutions may add additional competencies based on local demand. The sequencing of common courses is determined by the institution.